1. Judy Canova, born Juliette Canova, was an American comedienne, actress, singer and radio personality who appeared on Broadway and in films.
18 Facts About Judy Canova
1. 2.
Judy Canova hosted her own eponymous network radio program, a popular series broadcast from 1943 to 1955.
3.
Judy Canova began her showbusiness career with a family vaudeville routine, joining her sister Annie and brother Zeke.
4.
Judy Canova sang, yodeled and played guitar, and she was typed as a wide-eyed likable country bumpkin, often barefoot and wearing her hair in braids, sometimes topped with a straw hat.
5.
Judy Canova was sometimes introduced as the Ozark Nightingale or the Jenny Lind of the Ozarks.
6.
Judy Canova's fame began when as a teenager when bandleader Rudy Vallee offered her a guest spot on his radio show The Fleischmann Hour.
7.
The Judy Canova family performed on the radio often in the 1930s, and they made their Broadway theater debut in the revue Calling All Stars.
8.
Judy Canova quickly became Republic's leading female star, playing country women who typically blundered into trouble in such titles as Scatterbrain, Sis Hopkins and Joan of Ozark.
9.
However, Judy Canova did not appear in Republic's film adaptation of Yokel Boy; her role was played by Joan Davis.
10.
Judy Canova left Republic in 1943 over a salary dispute and signed with Columbia Pictures for three feature films: Louisiana Hayride, Hit the Hay and Singin' in the Corn.
11.
Judy Canova returned to Republic in 1951 to star in color comedy features, beginning with Honeychile, until 1955.
12.
In 1943, Canova starred in The Judy Canova Show, which ran for 12 years, first on CBS and then on NBC.
13.
Judy Canova made frequent guest appearances on television shows such as The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Steve Allen Show, Matinee Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Mickey Mouse Club, The Danny Thomas Show.
14.
Judy Canova appeared as a mystery guest on the show What's My Line on July 18,1954.
15.
Judy Canova starred in The Murdocks and the McClays, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the Virginia hills, which aired on ABC in August 1970 as the final installment in a three-part showcase of pilots titled Comedy Preview.
16.
Judy Canova worked on Broadway and in Las Vegas nightclubs through the early 1970s, touring with the revival of No, No Nanette in 1971.
17.
Judy Canova married her final husband, musician Filberto Rivero, in 1950.
18.
Judy Canova's ashes were interred in the secluded Columbarium of Everlasting Light section at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.